


Meet the Family

by rudbeckia



Series: Sugar Daddy Hux [6]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Fluff, Huxloween, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 08:46:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12361986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rudbeckia/pseuds/rudbeckia
Summary: Ben invites Armitage to meet his family at their annual Halloween party.Armitage has not heard Ben talk much about his parents and he is intrigued. Also nervous - what will Ben’s parents think of his rich, older boyfriend?When they arrive, Ben’s family ignore Armitage completely. Just what does he have to do to make himself visible?





	Meet the Family

Outside the train window, browns and golds and reds flashed past, almost hidden amongst the evergreens of the embankments and cuttings that flattened the land enough for the train to slip across the country at speeds only imagined by the people who had cast the steel and poured the concrete that supported ten carriages packed with weekend travellers. Armitage watched Ben, big brown eyes flicking as he unconsciously tried to focus on autumn colours passing their window far too fast. Armitage smiled and kicked Ben’s foot. Ben looked up across the brown formica table and smiled. 

“Your parents know I’m coming, right?” said Armitage with a slight frown. “You’re not planning to surprise them with _hi mum, hi dad, meet the rich older boyfriend I didn’t tell you about_ are you?”  
“I told them. I promise,” Ben reassured Armitage with a squeeze of his hand across the table. “I did tell them. If they seem surprised it’s probably because they’re not used to me holding on to a relationship for so long.”  
“Really?” Armitage raised his eyebrows. “What do you do to put people off?”  
“Introduce them to my folks.” said Ben with a wry smile, “I think there is a curse on my entire family.”  
“Oh? How so?” asked Armitage, thinking that the more information he had on the family Ben never talked about, the better.  
“You’ll see.” Ben returned his attention to the passing scenery, now with neat rows of brick houses and small back gardens. “Just,” He smiled at Armitage again but his eyes betrayed his concern, “be yourself and don’t let them get to you.”

The station Ben and Armitage (and no one else) alighted at consisted of two platforms, a crumbling red sandstone ticket office with a green-painted door (closed) and a wooden bridge that sailed over the tracks to connect the platforms. A car park next to the ticket office contained one vehicle: an ancient Land Rover. Ben walked towards it and a huge, hirsute man unfolded improbably from the driver’s seat.  
“Uncle Chewie!” Ben hugged the man, who grunted and patted Ben’s head. Armitage gave him a nervous smile and a wave. Ben’s Uncle Chewie growled and gestured at him to get in the back. 

Chewie drove them out of the small town and into the countryside with little regard for personal safety. Armitage clutched the edge of the back seat in white-knuckle fists and, on occasion, closed his eyes while the vehicle rattled and thumped along single track roads. Delighted, Ben laughed. The house they arrived at was exactly as Ben had described to Armitage the day before when he’d blurted out the invitation.  
_”Come home with me tomorrow. I mean to my parents’ place. I always go to their Halloween party and—”_ Armitage had already said yes but Ben wasn’t finished. _”—they’re a bit unconventional. I grew up in this weird old place. It’s a crumbling, creepy old farmhouse in the middle of nowhere and I really want them to meet you.”_  
Armitage let Ben help him out of the back of the Landy, and clung to him until his heart stopped racing.

Uncle Chewie waved and vanished around the side of the house. Ben pulled Armitage to the front door, shoved it open with a theatrical creak and yelled, “Hey it’s me! I brought Armitage home to meet you all, so be nice!”  
The house was eerily silent, thought Armitage. More silent than such an old place ought to be. So silent that Armitage wondered if his ears had failed. There should be creaks and groans of settling wooden boards, and the warm, quiet hum of electricals to welcome them, perhaps a ticking clock but the tall timepiece in the hallway stood in stubborn silence. Even Ben’s footsteps on the floor seemed muffled. 

Armitage shivered. “Where’s your Uncle Chewie?” he asked, startled by the sound of his own voice in the unwelcoming chill air.  
“Hey!” Ben called again, hand cupped around his mouth. “Anybody ho-ome?” He turned to Armitage. “Uncle Chewie doesn’t like to come inside. He lives in the stable block and looks after the place. I guess they’re not here yet. Come up and I’ll show you my room. Our room.”

Making deliberately loud, thumping, echoing footsteps on the wooden staircase, Ben led Armitage upstairs. Ben’s room was, Armitage smiled when he saw it, incredibly sweet. There was a small wooden wardrobe, painted with a scene depicting the Apollo Moon landings, and a bed just big enough for two. The bedding had a space theme to match the curtains and the yellowed, peeling wallpaper had space-suited figures smiling and waving as if being untethered and floating free in empty space was the best experience ever.

As Armitage unpacked his overnight things, he felt warmer. It seemed that the cold and empty farmhouse shifted from harsh, silent shadows and chill damp to warm flickers and soft noises of human occupation. Ben perked up and grabbed the gift Armitage had brought for his parents. “They’re home. Sounds like the party’s starting. Come on!”

The first person Armitage met was Ben’s mother, a slight figure standing at the bottom of the stairs. She accepted the bottle of vintage port and small box of very expensive chocolates from Ben’s hands with a slight frown.  
“Hah!” she said. “We all fall for presents and flattery. Thank you. Well, you did say he’s very generous. I hope he doesn’t think he can buy your affection too easily.”  
“Mom!” Ben protested, face reddening. “It’s not like that at all.”  
“No?” Ben’s mother smiled and patted Ben’s face. Armitage wondered at the contrast in tone, the pale, slender, almost bluish-white hand next to Ben’s warm, darker tones. Ben’s mother looked at him with a more genuine smile. “Shame. You could do with someone who can look after you. Have you lost weight? Are you eating properly? You’re right on time as always. Party’s starting soon.” 

In the living room, lit by a flickering orange fire in the grate, Armitage met Ben’s Uncle Luke. He was a somber, bearded man who sat in an armchair and said little. He reached out his hand and glanced at Ben often as if he had something on his mind, something just on the tip of his tongue that he wouldn’t say aloud. Luke stared at Armitage, or through him perhaps, but only frowned and looked away again. Ben said little to Luke, but touched his hand for a second or two and turned away as the old man’s eyes watered.

A loud bang and a shout made Armitage jump. Ben laughed and pulled him out of the living room and into the kitchen. A rough looking man with grey hair, steel eyes and an easy slouch laughed at a young woman, perhaps still in her teens. The girl lifted a large iron pail from where it lay on its side on the red-tiled floor onto the kitchen table and picked up the fat red and green apples that had rolled out of it. Each one she checked over, washed, and returned to the pail.  
“Ben!” The man’s face lit up. “You made it! C’mere.” The old man greeted Ben with a bone-crushing hug. “It’s too long between visits, you know. You could make more effort to see your folks. Rey here’s forgotten what you look like.”  
“I have not!” The girl, called Rey evidently, grinned at Ben. “Hi Kylo! Han thinks I’m way better with the farm machinery than you ever were.”  
“Uuugh don’t call me that!” Ben grimaced in mock embarrassment. Han laughed.  
“Do you remember all those stories you used to tell Rey?” 

Ben covered his face and nodded. “I was a powerful space-knight set to rule the galaxy and Rey was some space-urchin set on stopping me.” Ben’s face emerged from behind his big hands and he smiled at Armitage. “I miss telling those stories.”  
“Well tell me one later,” said Rey, almost walking into Armitage on her way out of the kitchen with the pail of apples. “Make yourself useful now and bring a bucket of water.”

Han followed Rey out, yelling _”Leia? Where are you, princess?”_ , and Ben turned to Armitage.  
“Want a beer?” Ben opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles. Armitage nodded.  
“Yes please. I get the feeling your folks don’t like the look of me. Is it the country folks’ disdain for city types, or are they just freezing me out for fun?”  
“Oh they’ll come around,” said Ben with a shrug. “I mean, they know how I feel about you. Maybe they think you’re going to take me away from all of this.” Ben waved his arms around and Armitage smiled. 

The living room was a cheerful scene. Upbeat instrumental music played in the background, the fire had been stoked higher and Uncle Luke seemed less morose, giving Leia a warm smile. Han towered over Leia, arm around her shoulders, and kissed her greying hair. Rey had set a colourful plastic trough in the middle of the room and filled it with water. Shiny apples bobbed on the surface. Rey grinned and pointed at Ben. “I think the great Kylo Ren should go first.”  
Ben made a show of protest but knelt in front of the trough. He turned to Armitage and smiled. “Are you ready?”  
Armitage frowned. “Why?” he asked. “You‘re the one about to get a faceful of cold water!”  
“Oh, no reason.” said Ben. “Here goes!”

Ben closed his eyes, opened his mouth, gripped both sides of the trough and ducked his head underwater. Armitage gasped in shock at the sudden cold in his bones, and stared wide-eyed at the dark, silent, dusty room around him. The vision vanished as soon as Ben’s face rose from the trough, trailing sparkling droplets of water, his sweet prize clenched between his jaws. He punched the air.  
_”Nnnngh nngh NNNGH!”_  
“Don’t talk with your mouth full!” said Leia with a playful swat at Ben’s head. Ben dodged back and bit into the apple properly, chewing and swallowing. He waved Armitage closer.  
“You next. Come on!”  
Armitage had no time to process what he might or might not have experienced. Ben was here, playing a party game with his family, smiling and laughing with them. Nothing could be more ordinary. Armitage told himself that he must have blinked, zoned out for a second. He smiled and stepped forward because it would not do to appear rude, even if Ben’s family was rude to him by ignoring his presence. As he knelt in front of the trough, Ben leaned close and murmured, _”No cheating. Eyes closed, hold your breath and when you get one you have to push it all the way to the bottom before you can get a proper bite.”_  
Armitage nodded and smiled. He murmured back to Ben, _”I didn’t get rich by being a loser, honey,”_ closed his eyes and ducked his head. 

The water was icy. Armitage almost lost by yelling and inhaling but he ignored the burn of water up his nose, opened his mouth wider around the apple he’d caught and pushed it to the bottom like Ben had said. When he met resistance, he bit hard until he felt his teeth sink into the crisp flesh and secure his prize. He pulled his head up and sat back on his heels, shook his head and sent water spray over Rey, who shrieked. He took the apple in his hand, sucking, chewing and swallowing the chunk he had bitten off. He grinned, and Ben grinned back. 

Han clapped him on the shoulder, a heavy but friendly touch.  
“Look here! I guess you’re part of the family now. Hey, Ben, you found one that didn’t freak!”  
“Han, shut up!” said Ben, whining a little. Leia laughed and held out her hand to Armitage. Armitage shook Leia’s hand and marvelled at how small and cold it was.  
“I’m sorry about earlier. You were part of a different world when you arrived and I wasn’t sure if we were real to you or not. I thought it best to let you decide that for yourself.” Leia smiled and hugged Armitage. He shivered. “Welcome to the family. You ate our food. Know any reliable folklore?”  
Rey piped up to fill in the gaps although Armitage was familiar with the tales his grandmothers told, tales of humans lured into fairyland and kept enslaved because they ate fairy food rather than starve. He took a step backwards, tripped and Luke caught him with a gesture.  
“What the fuck!” Armitage could see nothing keeping him from falling. He thought he should be terrified if he wasn’t so confused. Ben pulled him to his feet and told him off for cursing, but the others just smiled or laughed.  
Ben wrapped Armitage in warm, strong arms, and said, “I did warn you that my family is a little unconventional.”  
“Yeah,” said Rey, chirpily. “We’re all dead. Ben comes round once a year and we all play nice for him. Uncle Chewie gets the beers in and spiders out.”  
“Beers,” said Armitage, “please.” Han laughed.

After the party, Ben’s family left one at a time after saying goodbye. Leia was last to go. She took Armitage’s hand while she looked at Ben.  
“Sweetheart, if he’s the one, don’t waste time like your father and I did. Don’t drive each other crazy with arrogance and pride. I see it in your eyes, both of you. Ben, if you’re happy you don’t need to call on us any more. We all forgave you years ago. Can’t you forgive yourself too and let us all move on?”

Ben held Armitage tightly while his mother faded to a wisp. He led Armitage to the front door.  
“After all that, are you throwing me out?” asked Armitage, stiffening slightly.  
“No,” said Ben, kissing Armitage on the forehead. “After all that, I thought you might be more comfortable if we stayed overnight in the land of the living with Uncle Chewie. Besides, he’s got cable.”  
“Mmm yes,” said Armitage. “This house is creepy. I mean, it was creepy _before_ I knew about your _unconventional_ dead family Halloween party. It actually feels a bit less creepy now I think the ghosts like me.”  
Ben laughed and hugged Armitage tighter.

Chewie did not seem surprised to see them. His home in the stable block was modern and comfortable — completely different from the old farmhouse. He cuffed Ben lightly and ruffled Armitage’s hair, yawned loudly and pointed upstairs.

In a warm king bed with pale floral covers, in a room decorated with light blandness, Armitage lay against Ben and sighed.  
“Can I ask you a question? Another question, I mean, Not this one.”  
“Hah! Sure,” replied Ben.  
Head on Ben’s shoulder, Armitage bit his lip and frowned into the darkness under the covers. “What does Leia want you to forgive yourself for?”  
Ben sighed and stroked Armitage’s hair. He sighed again and shifted to face Armitage, eyes reflecting the soft glow of the nightlight.  
“I promise I will tell you one day, but not tonight. I’m not ready for that.”  
“Okay,” replied Armitage. “Do you know that I love you, Ben Solo?”  
“Yes!” said Ben, kissing Armitage gently. “Even ghosts could see that.”

**Author's Note:**

> I know there are some glaring inconsistencies with the previous fic set in Sugar Daddy Hux-land. Srsly, I don’t care.


End file.
